Remember
by maSqueRAdE4i6
Summary: Max gets amnesia and forgets everything about the flock. Dylan uses this as an opportunity to get her. He tells Max about her past differently and warns her not to trust the flock especially Fang. Can they stop Dylan and get Max and her memory back?  R&R!
1. Nightmare

There was a knock on my door that made me slightly awake. I groaned, turned my back on the door and covered my head with a pillow. Trying to block away another day of unexpected surprises.

Another knock, then followed by Fang's voice. "Max, wake up. Someone's waiting for you outside." Something in his voice made me think that I shouldn't get my hopes up.

I groggily stood up and went to the bathroom. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and combed my hair.

Hey, it doesn't mean that I'm a bird kid means that I can't have fine hygiene. Jeesh. People these days can be so judgmental.

The first thing that I saw when I opened my door made my day 100% impossible. I saw Jeb sitting on the couch talking to Mom and the flock. They all looked like as if they accepted Jeb as part of the family. But even if they accepted him deep within, which was totally impossible, they didn't show it in front of me like this. So, this was a shocker.

"Oh, I didn't know _you _were here." I said as I neared them.

Their heads all snapped up. I noticed that they were wearing the same sickening grin and their eyes were… I squinted trying to see if what I saw was correct.

My eyes practically popped out as I realized what they really were. Before I could turn around and run towards the door, they started to morph.


	2. flying with the hawks

I woke up with a start. Sweat was rolling down my face and I was gasping for air. I opened the window, letting a gush of cold early morning Arizona wind sweep inside.

I jumped out, stretching my brown and white wings. As I soared higher, I could already feel myself start to relax. Flying calmed me and it always will.

I didn't see where I was going until I reached a mouth of a huge cave. I should've known this is where my wings will take me. This was the cave where we stayed with the hawks.

As I walked deeper inside, I could hear the flapping of wings. I crouched lower until I found the opening. The sight of the hawks took my breath away. They were graceful and magnificent as ever.

One of them noticed my coming then it swooped down towards me, I unfurled my wings just in time and flew upward. It cawed in surprise and flew back to its flock.

And for a few brief moments I just stood there, mesmerized by the grace that they showed, by the way the moved in unison. It was just so beautiful. I was in that position for a very long time, God knows what I was doing while staring.

I was about to head home when the largest one neared me. I froze, afraid that I might do something that can make it go mad.

This hawk was quite different from the others. Its feathers were darker and looked a little ruffled. The wings were unbelievably large, probably two times of the size of mine. I looked into its eyes and my breath was caught in my throat. Its eyes weren't black but blue; blue as the early morning sky.

"You're different," I murmured as I reached out and tried to touch its beak. To my surprise, it didn't move away or bite my hand off.

Our moment was interrupted when the hawks started swooping down at us. I didn't notice that they were circling above us, probably eyeing every move that I made. I wouldn't blame them. They just want to make sure that one of their members is safe.

It started to ascend and joined the others. I followed it and was later flying with the most majestic winged creatures that I have ever known. They started to tilt their wings and flew vertically. I copied them. I was a bit shaky at first but later on I was flying like a pro.

I finally gave the blue eyed hawk a name. And I named it Blue Eyes. Yeah, I know, it's a stupid name. But don't blame me if I wasn't born without any skill of name giving. Anyway, Blue Eyes kept on teaching me new techniques of flying. It's not as easy as it looks. Trust me.

I squinted as I looked at the sun which was now shining brightly. Come to think of it, I was with the hawks for a pretty long time. How long was I with them? One hour? Two? It didn't matter. No one would bother looking for me.

That's what I thought, until…

"Max!" My head snapped up to see Dylan.


	3. Not programmed

"What in the world are you doing here?" I asked, already fuming mad.

"I told you, I couldn't sleep. Then I saw you go out of your room, I thought something went wrong and I followed you, thinking…" he hesitated. I could see that he was blushing. I didn't know why and I honestly don't want to know why. But no thanks to my luck he still continued. "thinking that I might comfort you."

If I wasn't Maximum Ride, promise, I would have melted at that exact moment. I would have blushed and kissed him and would be saying thanks that he was meant for me. But luckily I wasn't anybody else. I was still Maximum Ride and always will be. So instead of blushing and doing something idiotic, I rolled my eyes and turned to leave.

He caught my arm and pulled me back. I tried to get away but his grip was like steel. I glared at him and kicked him hard on the chest. He staggered back, letting go of me.

"What was that for?" he wheezed.

"That was for grabbing me and saying that you could comfort me." I said. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't love you? I hate you!" He flinched as I screamed at him.

The second I said those words, I already knew that they weren't actually true. Yeah, Dylan pisses me of almost everyday. But I don't hate him much like the way I hate Jeb. He only irritates me with his too much caring and loving. And to be honest, I think I also feel pity for him.

I let out a frustrated sigh, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean too. It's just that…"

"Hey, it's cool with me. Even though you hate me; I know how much you want to get rid of me. But we both know that that can't happen. And most especially, we both know the reason why." He reminded me.

For a few moments we remained silent. Then a thought came to me. I didn't know if what I was thinking was a reasonable one or if it was just a waste. But it didn't matter. I had to say it.

"Yeah, you may be programmed for me, but I wasn't programmed for you." I said. "You might want to think about that."

With those last words, I turned around and walked towards the edge of the cliff. I closed my eyes and let myself fall. When I felt falling was enough, I slightly unfurled my wings so that I could slower my fall. This was one of the things that I learned from the hawks. When I was 15 feet near the ground, I fully extended my wings and let the wind take me upward.

When I was near the edge, I saw Dylan there, head bowed down and I could hear him sobbing. It was a surprise because I haven't seen Dylan cry before. He always looked so fixed and calm. But what I saw now made my description of Dylan change. A bit. I give emphasis on those two words: a bit.


	4. Decision

"Max, could you kindly pass the chicken?" Angel said.

We were having our lunch with the whole family. And when I say the whole family I mean the flock, Mom, and Jeb. Dylan hasn't come home yet, probably frolicking somewhere. And Ella wasn't here because she had this one week field trip which bugged me but mostly Iggy. Anyway, you might be thinking what in the world is Jeb doing here? Don't ask me 'cuz I honestly don't know.

When I arrived from my flight, I saw Jeb sitting on the couch with Mom and the whole flock. Just like the one in my dream, scratch that, my nightmare. But not exactly that one because Fang was at the edge, face neutral but I could practically see the anger burning at the farther back portion of his eyes.

All I heard was that he came here to visit us and make an announcement. Whatever that announcement was, I didn't care. All I wanted was for his butt to get the hell out of our house.

"So," Jeb started. "I came here because I have an announcement to make."

I rolled my eyes. How many times does he have to repeat that? Is he a broken record or something?

"Val and I," He said mom's voice with such tenderness, I almost puked. Is there something going on between them? I so don't want to know. "made a decision on bringing you guys to a camping trip." He said it with a smile.

My jaw dropped to different levels. "What?" I looked at the flock. They didn't look as surprised as I was. "You guys know about this?"

I was expecting them to say that they were surprised as I was. But to my disbelief they all nodded.

"Jeb told us earlier when you were still out." Angel explained.

I let out a sigh. "So, what do you want me to do? Give you guys permission? Well, here's my decision. A big fat No."

"We don't need your decision Max, because it's already been voted." Angel said taking a sip from her orange juice.

"Voted? You guys voted without me? But I'm-" I was cut off by Jeb.

"Max, relax will 'ya. I think it's time that your flock gets their own voices." He said those words matter-of-factly.

It felt like a razor sharp knife was stabbed to my heart. And it was hard for me to breath. "What are you trying to say Jeb? That I'm not a worthy leader of the flock? That I don't give my flock their own free will? That I'm taking advantage of my authority?" I threw those questions hard at him. I was totally insulted by Jeb's simple comment.

Nudge answered me this time. "Max, you know that we know that you're a good leader of this flock. But I think Jeb has a point. I think," she stopped, looked at each member of the flock and continued. "_We _think that it's time that we made our own choice."

Another stab at the heart, but much deeper. Nudge was my number one supporter and now she was with… I couldn't take it anymore. Was I really that selfish? I don't think so. But that's _my _opinion, not theirs.

If this was what they wanted, well, I might as well give it to them. "I wouldn't be giving any decisions for them, right?" Jeb nodded his head. "Okay. But I'll make a decision of my own."


	5. My Decision

"You what?" Fang exclaimed as I told him my decision.

"Yeah. I'm staying." I repeated. I lay on my bed with my eyes closed.

The others were fast asleep in their rooms, while Fang and I were supposedly making out, which is totally embarrassing to admit to anyone. Anyway, here's a quick summary of what happened earlier.

I made a decision for myself, which was not true until just a few hours earlier. I told them it was a surprise and no matter what it was they should agree with it. They accepted it reluctantly and busily hustled out of the room talking about what clothes and things they should bring, etc. Leaving me with Fang and my unmade decision.

I avoided everybody today, most especially Angel and Fang. Well, you know the reason with Angel, she could probably hear the wheels inside my head turn. For Fang, well, I guess I just wasn't much in the mood of talking to him. I don't know why. Which brings me to another thought, I haven't seen Dylan the whole day. I haven't seen a single feather of his, which I would like to take as a good sign.

Anyway, all I did for the day was to be locked inside my room, listen to music, play online games, and fly. Mostly, I flew, trying to straighten out my thoughts. Then after a few more hours of thinking and flying, I returned home.

And there you have it. Yeah, I know nothing happened much and it's pretty dull, yada yada yada.

"But why stay?" Fang asked, pacing back and forth. "Is it because of pride?"

"What?" I said shocked by what he just said. "I am not staying because of pride."

"Then what makes you want to stay?" He repeated.

I didn't answer immediately. That's the same question that kept on circling my mind for the past few hours. "Why?" I said in a hushed voice.

Fang looked at me. "What did you say?"

I shook myself mentally. I frowned. As if I was solving a math problem and I wasn't getting it. "Nothing,"

"So, I'm still waiting for your answer. Why?"

"I don't know." I said.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I said-" He cut me off.

"Yeah, I heard what you said. Why don't you know?"

I tried looking at him straight in the eye but I can't because he keeps on pacing back and forth, over and over. "Okay, wait. Could you please stop pacing? It's making my head hurt."

He stopped pacing and took a sit beside me.

"Okay. To tell you, I really don't know why I want to stay. It's a gut feeling you know." I told him, explaining the best to him so that he could understand.

"A gut feeling?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Okay," he finally said and stood up. "But I'm gonna stay with you."


	6. Voice

It was me who was surprised this time. "What?"

"Yeah, you heard me right."

"But you can't. Who's going to watch the others?"

He shrugged. "Well, there's Iggy,"

"Are you kidding?"

"No. But we can trust him."

"He's blind, Fang." I reminded him.

"Angel?"

"Twisted mind,"

"Nudge?"

"Too much fashion in thought,"

"Gazzy?"

"Still a little kid and can't handle big stuff yet."

Fang's eyes lit up. "Well, there's Jeb."

"Are you kidding me? I don't trust him. And neither do you."

Fang sighed in defeat. "You're Mom trusts him. And she can keep an eye on Jeb and the flock."

I shook my head. "I know Mom trusts Jeb but I don't. And she can't bear them. They need somebody who can watch over the others. An experienced flock member."

Fang gave me a look. "That's sounds like you."

"Fang." I said. "Please? For me?" I insisted. He didn't reply. "Please?" I repeated again.

"In one condition," he finally said. "You have to call me every once in a while and give me update on what's happening."

I smiled. "And when you say once in a while, does it mean everyday?" he nodded. "Then, yes. I will. Promise."

"Hmm, let me think about it." He said, rubbing chin. "No."

"What? Why not?"

"Well, it's not like you."

"Me? Like what?" I asked.

"You want to stay instead of coming with us. And you really act different for the past few weeks." He explained.

"Yeah, I've noticed too. I guess that's why I wanted to stay back. Maybe find myself again?"

"But I still don't like the idea of you being alone in the house."

I put a hand on his shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. I can handle myself. I'm not a kid anymore."

He smiled but I could see doubt in his eyes. "Nothings going to happen here while you guys are gone. Promise."

"I trust you, Max. It's just that I'm not comfortable with you being alone. Without anybody guiding you." He said honestly.

"Fang, is something wrong with you? You changed." I said suddenly curious.

"What? How can you say that?"

"Well the Fang I know, knows that I can handle myself. I'm a big girl now. I don't need anybody to guard me. And he doesn't care that much. Or let's say I didn't know he cared that much." I teased him.

He laughed for the first time in a long time. "Yeah, I know. I guess I did change. And, hell yeah, I do care for you Max. Too darn much."

I smiled at the comment. I never knew that I was capable of being loved. Well, yeah, I know how to love and be loved. But being loved so much was what surprised me. How can Fang love a girl like me? I mean, honestly. I almost eat more food than any other person. I have no manners and I belch louder than Gazzy. Doesn't that turn off a guy? But I guess there are some things in this world that I didn't know.

Fang cupped my face in his hands. So, I was now staring at his handsome face. I couldn't help myself from staring at his eyes. It always reminded me of cool nights where the stars were blocked by thick clouds.

Without any warning, Fang planted a soft warm kiss on my lips. I accepted him without any hesitation. And when we finally broke apart, we were breathing hard.

"I better go back to bed." He said and gave me a peck on the cheek. I nodded feeling light headed and he left the room.

I slumped heavily on my bed and let out a sigh. Do you know the feeling when you're about to do something you're sure of but unsure of the outcome and sure that you'll mess up big time? Well, that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. It's really unexplainable. Half of my gut tells me that I should stay; another half tells me that I should join the others. Then I start weighing the possibilities, the outcomes if I stay or if I come.

_Max, relax. _I almost jumped out in surprise when I heard the Voice. You know the talking voice inside my head. I don't think it's what you call conscience. I barely even know if I have one, with all the killing and all.

"What now, Voice?"

_If you think that staying is better, then stay. I suppose there is nothing wrong with taking a risk._ It said.

I rolled my eyes. "Easy for you to say. You're just a voice inside my head that makes stupid suggestions." I snapped at it.

If an imaginary voice can sigh, I think mine just did. _Stop being immature, Max. You know that my suggestions and opinions are appropriate for whatever situation you are in. _

"Well, stop acting like as if you really know me. It's been almost two years since I knew you ever existed, and you haven't even known a single obvious fact about me. You know, for a so called intelligent voice, you're kind of stupid." I commented.

And as predicted, it didn't answer. I groaned and closed my eyes. Going to sleep took me longer than I thought. But after counting sheep, yeah, go on, laugh, I don't care, I finally fell asleep.


	7. Home Alone

I woke up feeling like crap. I didn't have any nightmares and I wasn't disturbed for the whole night. Well, maybe except for the utterly weird dream I had. It was like I was turned into a chocolate and Gazzy started devouring me. I shuddered at the thought.

There was a slight knock on the door, it opened and Angel entered. She was already dressed; wearing a plain white shirt paired with Old Navy jeans with matching shoes. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail. "You're gonna leave already?" I asked.

She shook her head and slumped on the bed beside me. "Why didn't you tell me?" She said. I didn't have to ask her what she was talking about; I already knew what it was.

I shrugged, not answering her directly. "But why stay?" Still I didn't answer. I focused my gaze on the ceiling, not wanting to catch her pleading eyes. "Max, you can tell me anything." She insisted.

I rolled over, my back now facing her. I didn't face her because I was too afraid to see her not understand me. Too afraid to see the fake acknowledgement she might make. "I know, Angel. It's just that it's sort of like a gut feeling you know." I said, repeating the same words that I said to Fang last night. Well, not exactly the same but you get what I mean.

She nodded in understanding. "Max, I completely understand what you say." I looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I understand you. Promise. I'm not kidding. I get that feeling sometimes." She admitted.

"You do?"

She nodded again. "That's why it's cool with me that you wouldn't come. But I'm still worried for you." And unexpectedly she hugged me. This made me smile and my heart skipped a beat. "Come on, we've better tell the others that you're not coming."

When we got downstairs, everybody was getting their bags and bringing them to the car. Mom saw us and asked why I wasn't still dressed. I told her quickly as possible that I wasn't coming. She didn't turn mad and all,just disappointed. It came out different with Jeb. He wasn't mad or disappointed. He was irritated. Irritated because I never did anything that he requested. I just rolled my eyes at every useless sentence he made. I thought it would never end. But in the end, he gave up, fully knowing that I didn't listen one bit.

After eating breakfast, it was finally time that they left. I kissed and hugged everyone goodbye except Jeb. Mom became a bit teary eyed when she got in the car. It wasn't like we wouldn't be seeing each other for a whole month, just a week. I gave Fang one last kiss. It went longer than I thought. Well, he might take as much as he wants to. He wouldn't be kissing my lips for a couple of days. I suppose that's a new record. Well, maybe not. There was a time when he left. But that was different. We were not in good terms. But now was different. We are having a steady relationship and that was good. Okay, I think I'm babbling.

When everything was done and the last hint of the black Crosswind was gone, I went back to the house and turned on the TV. I scanned, looking for something good to watch. To my luck, I found a channel that caught my eye. It was Animal Planet. And guess what it was talking about. Yeah, birds. How ironic. Ha-ha.

After a few hours of rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to find food that can satisfy my grumbling stomach, and watching TV, I finally got bored to death. You could have seen me already rolling on the floor with my saliva dripping without me caring. If Fang was here, he would have been laughing his head off.

But I didn't care. Trust me, even if you were the most enthusiastic person in the world, you would have also been bored to death. There was completely nothing to do. Well, except for flying. But I wasn't in the mood to do so.

Sigh. I have nothing to do. As in nothing. And it wasn't even half of the day.


	8. Nibble

**A/N: ****Do guinea pigs squeal or squeak? I really don't know. Honestly. Do they squeal just because it has the name pig on it, or does it squeak because it somehow is related to rats? (Are they really related to rats?) Help!; because I really don't know… I'm stupid when it comes to animals… right xxxMusicalMime?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! **

**Dylan's POV**

When he woke up, the first thing he saw was big black round curious eyes. He sat up and tried to touch the squirrel, but it scurried away from him. He sighed. Even these cute animals were afraid of him. He mentally shook himself away from his depression and pulled himself back to reality.

Where was he? He tried to remember what he last did before he ended up here. Oh, yeah. He tried to follow Max at the cave but unfortunately, the hawks tried to attack him. Then one of them, the blue eyed, made a very deep cut on his leg. He tried flying back to the Martinez residence but he was drained out of energy. Then… What happened after that? Everything after his unsuccessful trials

to fly was a blur. He couldn't remember every detail of what happened to him after that.

He groaned. He hated the fact that he forgot things. And what was worst that he was injured and didn't know where he was. Well, that wasn't exactly a problem. He would just fly upward and go back. But the injury was still bad and he was completely weak.

He checked on his injured leg. The cut was starting to heal. He could have just put spit on it. Yeah, if you haven't known, he can heal his wound by applying spit on it. Just like the way Dr. Hans did. Whenever he had some cuts and bruises, it would heal in no time. Oh, he almost forgot to say that if he cut a finger it would grow back. Yeah, disgusting right?

The rustling of the leaves removed his attention from his leg. "Hello?" He called. More rustling. He moved an inch closer and picked up a stick from beside him. He poked the bush and came out a brown guinea pig.

Dylan laughed as he picked up the cute little animal. It squealed and tried to get away from him. But he already caught it and touched the head. It squealed some more and it started to shiver. "Aww, you cute little thing. How come you got all the way here alone?" He asked it as if it can answer every question that he asked.

"Come on. You might as well come with me." He said patting it on the head. They started walking and walking until they found a small stream. Dylan crouched down and hungrily gulped down the clean, fresh water.

While he was still there, he took the opportunity to get himself clean. He removed his shirt, exposing his muscular biceps and his six-pack abs. Yeah, when did Dylan get abs? Well, he started working out for the past few months and then poof! He had abs!

He dipped his body in the water, shivering at the first touch of cold water. He started scrubbing his arms, his torso and his legs and so on. When he was finally done, he got out and took his shirt from the guinea pig that was nibbling it. It looked at him, and then trotted towards the pile of fallen leaves.

Dylan shrugged and lay on the grass for a few moments, staring at the clear blue morning sky. He just stayed like that for a few minutes until he finally fell fast asleep.

It was already late afternoon when Dylan woke up. There was a tickling feeling on his left ear. When he turned, he saw the cute guinea pig. This made him smile.

"Aww. You stuck by me. I knew I could count on you." He said feeling touched that it stayed with him. He stood up and went to the stream. He scooped a handful of water and gulped it down. He wiped the few droplets of water that was trickling down his chin.

He turned to face his new found friend and said with a grin, "Come on. We better get going."

If guinea pigs can raise an eyebrow, **(Do they even have eyebrows?) **this one just did. He laughed and picked it up. "We're going back home. To Max. You should meet her." He continued. "But first you need a name before I introduce you to her." He thought for a while, while it nibbled on his thumb. "Nibble! I'll name you Nibble." He said with a proud grin that spread across his gorgeous face.

It looked at him with sparkling eyes and started to lick the palm of his hand as if saying that he liked it and appreciated it so much. Dylan giggled and kissed the head of Nibble. "Come on, little guy. We're coming home."


	9. Attacking

**A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry if the events of the story are movin****g quite slow, and yeah I admit, boring. But promise! I'll give everything I can. Anyway, thanks for the review, especially AnikaandAj. I hear 'ya. It really was kind of boring. I didn't have much energy when I wrote that. So, thanks and here goes nothing! **

**Max's POV**

It's already been one day since the others left. And it's already been one day since I learned the word _BOREDOM._ I haven't done much anything for the past day, just eat, sleep, watch and sometimes clean. And I never forgot to text Fang.

It was already late afternoon and I practically did everything possible to do in the house. I tried flying but I wasn't much in the mood. What's wrong with me? I think I have this boredom sickness or is it laziness sickness? I practically say no to everything that comes in my mind. Ugh. I should've gone with them. But then again, I don't want to loose the opportunity of having the house all to myself.

After a few hours of watching TV, my stomach started to grumble. So, I went to the fridge to find some food. I found some pizza but I saw some molds. Yuck. Disgusting. So, I just settled with PB&J sandwich with a glass of orange juice.

When I thought everything was just turning out to be ordinary, the doorbell rang. And guess what who was there? If you're thinking Dylan, you're absolutely wrong. Same goes with Jeb and Fang. I'm giving you a hint. They're our past furry and very ugly friends whom I thought were already extinct. If you guessed who they were, then congratulations! And if you haven't, then you're an idiot.

"What the?" I said in surprise as I slammed the door shut. I ran towards the back door but it was blocked by humongous Erasers. The foul stench of their body almost made me gag. They were still the same. Ugly, bad smelling and ugly. Their body was built for hard combat. Bigger and more muscular. No doubt they were made stronger.

"So, little Miss Ride is left all alone." The biggest one of them said mockingly. They were not more than 10. I can handle this. Piece of cake.

"Got a problem with that?" I said glaring at it. I was already in battle mode, ready to kick some ass. And this was what I only needed to give me some life.

They attacked. I dodge every blow they made. And we did that not less than a minute. And it was tiring me. When I wasn't looking one of them kicked me hard on the stomach, so hard that it sent me flying straight to the wall. One of them neared me and put his hand around my neck. He tried choking me, but I scratched him in the eye. He loosened his grip; just enough for me to give him a kick on the face.

One of them grabbed my hair and started to haul me towards them. I screeched in pain. When it finally let go, I saw a thick bundle of blonde hair. This made me super mad. "You jerk!" I screamed. I advanced, punching, kicking and snapping the heads of each and every Eraser that tried to come near me. I thought it was finally over. But I stood corrected. I heard a low growl from behind me. Even before I could turn around, it already hit me. I fell on the floor, face first. It was so hard that I broke my nose. "Ouch! You are going to pay!" I yelled, standing up. But it sat on me. Really sat on me! His body was obviously too heavy for me to carry. Then, like any child would do, he started to jump up and down with his butt on my back. It was getting hard for me to breath. And like as if being under this heavy weight wasn't enough, I heard a snap. It was my ribs. The Eraser started laughing menacingly.

I started to cough, and the pain that it brought to my chest was unbearable. There was one thing that came to my mind when I started to spit out blood. _This is a very stupid way to die. _When I thought it was finally done playing around, it grabbed me by the legs. He put me on an upside-down position, where my head was supposedly where my legs are now.

"Are you giving up? You really are a weakling." He said, laughing. He flashed those sharp but unleveled teeth of his, as if saying he can rip me into shreds with his eyes closed and his hands tied at the back.

I growled, feeling pissed and weak. He showed me his sharp nails, and pointed it to my throat. I gulped down nervously. If he's going to kill me, do it now. I hate suspense.

I tightly closed my eyes, wishing that Fang was here. But he wasn't. I have to do this alone. But I can't do anything. My ribs hurt like hell. My blood was rushing to my head. And I started to feel dizzy.

"Before, I kill you. I want to play with you first." He said swaying me back and forth. It was like being sea sick. And just like that, he threw me. I fell on the sofa, causing it to turn over. I groaned and stood up, savoring every ounce of energy that I had left.

It neared me and grabbed me by the neck. "I can squish you like a bug." It said tightening his grip. He punched me one more time on the face, giving me a black eye. He laughed some more as I fell on my knees.

I walked or lets say limped away from him while he was laughing at his so called victory. They may be big and strong but their brains are smaller than a pea, that he couldn't notice my escape. Anyway, I entered my room and opened the window. Before I could even jump out, and fly away, a large, hairy hand grabbed my legs. Causing me to bump my head on the window pane. There was a small trickle of blood that came from my head.

He laughed some more. Even with my very critical state, I still managed to roll my eyes. "Don't you ever get tired of laughing?" I asked him. He looked at me, an evil grin spread across his morphed face. He shook his head and laughed some more.

"Now, where did we end?" He asked himself, rubbing his chin like as if it would help him remember. Then I saw a light bulb flash above his head. "Ah! Yes! I remember."

He turned me over, my back and wings now exposed to him. He laid a hand on my back in case I move. He then started to pick on my feathers. I screamed at each time he plucked a feather. "Music to my ears." He mused and continued. Then when I thought he was done, he did something that made me mad and cry so much. He twisted my wings into a very painful and unimaginable way. He let go of me and dragged me towards the sofa. He threw me there. Not caring if I lay there without any shackles that bound me to the walls or something. He got out of the house. I thought he was going to leave me there for good. Because he left me for more than a minute.

While he was at it. I took this as an opportunity to clear things and get away. But how can I? I can't feel my legs or my wings. I felt numb. Completely numb. And what I hated the most was that I felt weak. As in weak, weak. Completely drained out of energy. I closed my eyes feeling helpless. It was the ever first time I felt helpless. The ever first time that I lost over an Eraser. The ever first time…

My trails of thoughts were broken when I heard a door slam shut. Loud footsteps coming closer, the deep breathing of the Eraser made me feel dreadful.

"Open your eyes, Ride. I want you to see your death." He said. I could feel the evil and maniac smile. I forced myself to open my eyes. What I saw made my heart fall to my stomach. It made me feel more scared.

I saw him holding a big rock. He lifted it directly above my head. "Any last words?" He asked as he readied himself. I gave him a smirk. At first he looked surprised that I didn't say anything and I wasn't quivering in fear. But to be honest, deep inside I felt horrible. I was already crying inside. But I had to contain myself till my very last breath.

"Very well then." And just like that, he let the rock slip from his hands. I tried to roll but I couldn't so I just covered my head with my arms. I heard another snap. My arms. The pain. It was too much to bear. Too darn much.

He dragged me again and banged my head on the wall. At the first two whacks at the concrete wall, an ordinary human being would have already died. My bones might be stronger than any other ordinary human, but it doesn't mean that it's indestructible. After more slamming and pounding, blood oozed out of my head. I felt numb. Really numb. I couldn't hear anything just the continuous sort of like statistic humming inside my damaged brain.

I thought I was only imagining it but I heard shouting and slamming of doors. The Eraser let go of me, not caring if I hit my head. Again. I was still conscious but not fully. I could still see but not clearly. Just very blurred images moving. Then the last thing that I saw was a face. It was like as if the image was warped.

Just like that everything went black…


	10. Rescue

**Dylan's POV**

Dylan thought of seeing Max in the house watching TV or sitting outside on the porch. But what he saw was far from what he was expecting. There were probably two or three cars that were parked in front of the lawn.

He swooped down and silently landed on the porch, not making any single crack. He put down the guinea pig, letting it scurry away from his hand. He slightly cracked the front door open. The house was in complete disarray. The furniture was turned over; blood was splattered all over the floor and not more than 10 Erasers were lying helplessly on the floor, dead.

He heard laughing and pounding near. He slammed the door and hurried to where the sound was. His eyes showed rage when he saw an Eraser pounding Max on the wall. There was blood all over the wall. This made him madder.

"Hey!" He called. The Eraser turned and dropped Max on the floor. "What the hell are you doing to her?" I shouted, my hands already turning into a fist. I was ready to attack; ready to kill this monster for hurting Max.

"Isn't it obvious on what I'm doing." He said, pointing on Max. "She's pretty weak. I wanted to have some challenge. But she ain't worth it." He said rubbing his hands.

"You jerk." Dylan said. He attacked first and gave the Eraser a round house kick on the jaw. It staggered backward, inhaling sharply. It growled deeply and clawed him on the face. Dylan ignored the pain. There was blood but it didn't matter. He had to kill this monster.

Dylan went towards the kitchen, eyeing it cautiously. "Retreating already?" It said following him. He reached the counter where the utensils were placed. He fumbled on the keys. When he reached the right drawer, he immediately took out a knife. The Eraser took a step back.

"Ooh, he's got a knife." He said, obviously pretending to be afraid. "But lucky me, I've got _claws._" He advanced and tried slashing him but Dylan dodged it on time and sliced the Eraser's stomach.

It howled in pain and clutched his bleeding stomach. Dylan slashed it on the shoulders and its thigh, while its guard was down. The Eraser slumped on the floor howling. And for one short second, Dylan let his guard down. But this very short second and slightly put down guard, the Eraser took this as an opportunity to get back at him.

He charged. Face furious, nostrils flaring, eyes gleaming in hatred. This was what he was expecting, what he wanted from the Eraser. It strangled him on the floor banging his head every second. They continued to punch, kick and slash each other.

When Dylan was on top of the Eraser, he made no hesitation to kill this monster. But when he looked into its eyes, he saw a helpless little kid, wanting break free from this agonizing pain. A kid who was just used as an experiment; a kid who had no right to become free. A kid who was innocent and wanted nothing to do with killing but was told to do so. Killing this creature would be a blessing but also suffering for the soul for the mistakes that it has done.

Dylan wanted to set it free, to give it another chance at life. But there was a voice at the farther back portion of his mind that tells him that this wasn't innocent. It lost its innocence in a long time, judging by the murderous look in its eye. And he also reminded itself that this was the cause of Max's pain at this very moment.

He didn't need to weigh out the options. Vengeance for Max always weighed out everything. Even if it wasn't fair on the other side. As the saying goes, all is fair in love and war.

He punched it one more time, before slicing the head off. The large head was easily cut off, making it roll on the floor. The kitchen floor was flooded with blood. And Dylan couldn't stand the fouls stench of Eraser's blood. So, he got off the lifeless and beheaded body and ran towards Max.

When he saw her, his heart dropped to his stomach. She was really in a critical state. Her head was bleeding. Too much blood lost. This is not good. And almost every part of her body was broken.

He can't cure Max alone. He has to have somebody's help. He quickly headed to Max's room, opening her drawers, rummaging through her closet, until he found what he was looking for. Max's phone.

He quickly dialed the person's number and anxiously waited for him to answer. When the beeping finally ended, Dylan didn't wait for the person on the other line to speak. Instead, he said with a pleading voice.

"Hello, Dr. Hans, I need your help."


	11. Meet Maya Again

**A/N: Okay,**** for the ever first time I had a writer's bloc. I had no idea on how I ever finished this chapter. The only ones that pop into my mind are the ones after this chapter. And, I'm sorry if I haven't uploaded in a very long time. So, yeah… here goes. **

**Dylan's POV**

It only took Dr. Hans a few minutes before he finally got here. He brought his first aid kit but finally noticed that it would only help a little.

"Oh, my. What happened to her?" He asked. "But let's go to that later. First we have to bring her to the hospital."

"H-hospital?" Dylan asked voice trembling, troublesome memories flashed in his mind. "But why can't you just heal her here? Where there aren't much people." He insisted.

Dr. Hans shook his head. "We can but that would take us more time. Would you prefer on letting Max die while waiting for the materials or would you rather let her come with me to the hospital so that she would be healed faster."

He didn't wait for Dylan to reply. He fished out his phone from his jeans and called for his colleagues. After talking to them about some hospital stuff, he ordered Dylan to get some of Max's clothing, saying that she would be staying in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

Dylan didn't mind but had a nagging feeling in his stomach. But what if Jeb came here too early? What if they found out? He'll ask this later to Dr, Hans. And for the mean time, his main priority is to focus on Max.

He went to Max's room and rummaged through her drawers and closets, getting her clothes and some important stuff that she might later on need. He placed it all in a bag.

There was a whooshing sound at the backyard. A jet. Dr. Hans's private jet. "Dylan, come on the jet's waiting." Dr. Hans called.

He got out, carrying the bag on his shoulders. "Coming." He answered back. He saw some nurses coming out of the jet, carrying a stretcher. He wanted to help but he was directed to the jet. When he entered, he saw Dr. Hans talking with some of his colleagues. They were all wearing lab coats, which made a shiver run down his spine.

They were three all in all, including Dr. Hans. One of them was black. He had an average height and a muscular body, good looking and striking blue eyes. He could've been considered a model if it weren't for his height. The other one was an old timer. He was tall, a bit scrawny, grayish hair and green eyes.

"Ah, Dylan, I would like you to meet, Dr. Ken Smith, and Dr. Jonathan Williams." Dr. Hans said as he introduced me to the two of them.

I nodded my greetings and hurriedly sat down on one of the soft cushioned seats. He saw Max on the stretcher and a bunch of nurses huddled over her, putting some needles and some other stuff that I don't know. A guy in a fancy suit neared him asking him if he wanted some beverages. Dylan just shrugged and ordered a glass of Coke. The waiter nodded and left, leaving Dylan alone with his jumbled thoughts.

He placed his hand over his eyes, thinking. _What if the others came home early? What if they saw the mess and thought that it was his fault? Should I tell Jeb on what happened to Max? But that would ruin their vacation. But still-_

His thoughts were interrupted when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He didn't turn around, but just said, "Um, just place the Coke on the table."

There was a soft giggle. "Um, sir, I don't have your Coke." That voice. It was very familiar to him; he just couldn't place his finger on it. When he turned around, he came face to face to a very familiar face. A face that he saw just a few minutes ago, unconscious and blood drenched. But the person who he was now staring at was completely clean and fresh; and positively conscious of the world today.

"Max?" I said in complete astonishment.

Max smiled that smile of hers that always made his heart do a summer sault. She shook her head. "No. Max the Second. Or best known in the present as Maya."

**A/N: So? How did it go? Pretty boring? Please tell me..**


	12. I'm in

**Dylan's POV**

They were already in the hospital. And Dylan didn't feel one hundred percent good. He was starting to feel twitchy and nocuous. Just like the other flock members, he was also afraid of men wearing lab coats and was also claustrophobic.

He was in the waiting area with Maya, who was reading a magazine about fashion. While Max was in the surgery room with Dr. Hans and his colleagues. He continued to tap impatiently on the table. He couldn't stand here waiting for Max and doing nothing. His eyes kept on searching the walls, begging for release.

Hospitals were just like labs for Dylan; even if the doctors here weren't mad scientists and they didn't mutate innocent children. But they still contain the same walls that bound them to their pain, same stingy scent, same murmurs of doctors and the very same soft calling of near death.

Somebody tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped out in surprise. It was a nurse. She had brunette shoulder length hair, freckles sprinkled across her face, and sparkling green eyes. She gave him a warm smile. "Um, Dr. Hans would like to give a word to the both of you at his office."

"Maya, come on." He called. She put down the magazine and let it fall slip on the floor. They followed the nurse through the endless halls. They reached his office. It seems that he was the only one who has an office in the hospital, all the others where clinics.

They entered. He was expecting to be hit by a stingy scent, but he was greeted by the sweet smell of autumn. The walls were decorated by portraits of children smiling. Except for his desk and a short round table with chairs around it, there weren't any more furniture.

"Please, take a sit." And so we did. "I have important news for you."

"But what happened to Max?" Dylan asked, he couldn't help himself but ask. He was really concerned.

"That's what the two of you are here. To talk about Max and further plans."

"Aaannddd?" He asked, anxious to know what Max's condition is.

He hesitated. "Max has a lot of broken bones. But they can be easily tended to. But the worst damage that she received was her head injury. Too much blood loses and head trauma. And I wouldn't be surprised if she gets amnesia when she wakes up."

"What? Amnesia? As in the kind where she forgets everything about her past.?" Dylan said, almost standing on his seat.

"Yes, Dylan. But only temporary. She'll remember her past when the time is right. And while she is at it, I and the other doctors would like to test and experiment on her." He said it like it was no big deal.

"Why her? You have me. I'm willing to be your model and be one of your tests. You can experiment on me and do some other weird stuff as long as Max doesn't get hurt."

Dr. Hans tried to consider it. "Hmm. I'll try to think about it. But there are some things that Max has and you haven't. But, again, I'll think about it."

"So, where do I come in?" Maya asked, the ever first time she spoke when they entered the room.

Dr. Hans looked at her like as if he's never seen her before. Then realization came back to him. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Well, since Max would be gone for a couple of weeks. So, you'd be replacing her. But when she's fully recovered, you'll be back here and she'll be backing there, like as if nothing happened. Simple as that." He said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Dylan and Maya said at the same time.

"Why can't you just let the others know that she's gone and is in medical condition?" Dylan asked, confused.

"Maya, it's only temporary. At least you could finally feel being welcomed in a home." He insisted.

She just rolled her eyes and said, "I don't care about all of that family crap. What I need is cash. If you give me a hundred bucks in each week, I'll go."

Dr. Hans didn't hesitate one bit. "Sure, whatever. Here I'll pay you in advance for this week." He said and took out one hundred bucks out of his wallet.

Dylan looked at the two of them in shock. He couldn't believe that they were agreeing to these terms. "Are you kidding me? You guys aren't fooling anybody but yourselves." He said in complete disbelief.

"Dylan, think about it. Max gets amnesia and forgets everything. You can use this as an opportunity to finally get her. And this is a great opportunity for me to discover more about the flock.

What Dr. Hans said about him finally getting Max, gave him hope. Hope of finally having Max all to himself. Hope of being finally free from Fang's shadow. Hope of being happy at last. But there was a small part of him that felt afraid. Afraid of the risks that he would face. Afraid of loosing Max when she finally remembers everything. Afraid of being lonely again.

But enough of being afraid. He was sick and tired of always being in the shadows. He hated always being weak. He has had enough. He smiled and said, "I take back what I said earlier. I'm in."

Dr. Hans smiled. "Great."


	13. I swim with messagegiving corpse

**Max's POV**

_Run! _My mind screamed as I continued to run deeper into the forest. I was panting and my legs were ready to collapse. But I urged on, unmindful of the pain that I felt. I knew I wouldn't last long if I just continued to run and dodge the bullets that they fired at me.

I continued to run until I found some thick bushes. I hid in one of them, careful not to make any sound. I controlled my breathing and waited for them to pass. I heard some rustling of leaves and crunching sounds.

"She's not here, Bob. We better keep on looking." One of them said with a gruff voice.

"No, I saw her stop somewhere here." The one named Bob said. He was just right above me and the tip of his gun was directly pointed at me. I gulped down nervously. After a few more rustling of leaves, they were finally gone.

I let out a sigh in relief. I stood up and came face to face with a gun. "Got 'cha," He said, with a smirk. I couldn't see their faces because they wore masks. I could only see the man's stormy gray eyes. "Greg! I found her! Greg!" He called from behind. He turned his head which was a very big mistake.

I kicked the gun away from his hands. He jumped out in surprise. "Hey!" Before he could do anything else, I punched him on the face making him stagger backward.

He fell flat on his butt. I didn't have time to laugh at him because Greg, a big muscled man, came out carrying a gun and it was pointed at me. He shot. Luckily, I was able to dodge and ran.

I ran and ran and ran until I came to an edge of a cliff. I couldn't see where the bottom was because it was pitch black. Then I realized something. This was just like the dream I always had; the one where I was being chased by Erasers and I always end up flying away from them. The only difference was that Erasers weren't attacking me. All I have to do was fly away and wake up.

That was easy, until I started to unfurl my wings. Funny thing is I didn't have any wings. And that was weird. This was really a nightmare. If I can't go up, the only way to get out is to go down. _Way _deep down. I looked back one more time, they were all ready there, ready to shoot and kill me.

I took a deep breath and ran forward. Bullets zipped pass me. And then I fell and fell and fell. I thought falling would never end, until I plunged into deep freezing water.

I held my breath. I couldn't see clearly but I was positive that I saw something move in front of me. I blinked a couple of times and saw what it was. It was a floating corpse. I immediately backed away. I bumped into something, another corpse; then like as if on cue, they started to appear from nowhere. Their eyes were opened. Well, they didn't have their eye balls just empty eye sockets. Their skins were wrinkled and had wholes. The most disgusting part was that worms were wiggling out of them.

I couldn't move a muscle; all I could do was stare at them. They continued to float towards me, their lifeless arms encircling me as if I was something that was once theirs. I couldn't hold my breath anymore. If this was in real life, I could've lasted longer and could've gotten my gills. But I didn't.

The last thing that I remembered before blacking out, again, was:

"_Keep your most cherished memories hidden. But never forgotten. No matter what they say, never believe__. Maximum Ride." _

Blackout. Again.


	14. Misunderstood Heart

**A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating so soon. There was this storm at our place and we didn't have any electricity. No electricity, no computer. No computer, no internet. No internet, no upload. So, yeah. That's all. Well, here goes. **

**Maya's POV**

She was walking down the halls of St. Luke's Hospital and was headed towards Max's room. She was about to enter when she heard soft whimpers from inside. She slightly cracked the door open. Good thing that these doors weren't the noisy type. She saw Dylan, head bowed on Max's bed. Was he…She squinted. A grin spread across her face. Yes, it was positive. Dylan was crying.

She entered, not making the slightest sound. If she did so, her cover would be blown. She leaned on the wall. Far enough for him not to feel her presence; but near enough for her to hear every single thing that he was saying.

"Max, please, wake up. I want to see your eyes full of life again. It's like being dead inside. I can breathe, eat, walk, stand and do some other stuff but it's like there's a gap inside me that I can't fill." She heard him say. Then she saw tears falling down from his eyes.

She snickered. This was saw weird yet fun to watch. She'd never seen him cry before. And it was worth while. "Man, I can't believe that you'd be crying to this very extent." She said, finally breaking the silence.

He jumped in surprise when he heard her. "What the hell are you doing here? And how much did you hear?"

She just shrugged. "I didn't listen all the way through." She lied. She pulled away the earphone that wasn't even turned on, to make it believable. "I got sick hearing your stupid pleads."

Dylan looked hurt at that statement. He was about to say something but she cut him off. "It's a new level for you, huh. Crying over a girl who's near meeting death. I mean, come on. You can't do anything else to save her. Look at her. She's paler than pale."

This made Dylan fuming mad. "Don't you dare talk about Max like that. You may look exactly like her but that doesn't give you the right to-"

She just rolled her eyes like as if it was nothing. She's sick of hearing this all over again. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I may look like Maximum but I'm not really her so I don't have any right to do this and yada, yada, yada. Whatever. Been there done that." Dylan looked at her, puzzled. She gave a frustrated sigh. "Okay, let's act like as if none of this happened. I'm going now. Bye-bye." She said and left.

Now, why would she be acting like that all of a sudden? Simply because of a misunderstood heart. You do know the real story of Maya, right? Or have you just been listening to the latest gossip about her and decided to judge her without even fully knowing her? Well, if you were in the latter, then here's her story.

Maya was created out of Max's form, right? Everybody knows that. But do they know the pain that she feels when everybody hates just because of that? Of course not! They would never want to know what the clone feels. They only care about the original.

One more thing that she hates about Max is because she has everything that a bird kid would want. A welcoming family, a caring flock, even Dylan. She has everything minus the Erasers chasing them. But still. Max's perfect, while Maya's a mistake. Max is the princess, then Maya's the pauper.

Yes, she is definitely bitchy. Why? Because that's the only true face that she can show to the others. She may act like an independent person but deep inside she's breaking down. She has nobody to lean on except herself. And it was heart wrenching. That's why she agreed to act like Max. She wanted to feel being loved. Even for just a very short time.

She crashed into a big tree and fell like a rock with a heavy _thud!_ She groaned and leaned on the tree. She closed her eyes and let the tears spill out of her eyes. This was the ever first time she cried in a very long time. She started to curse and shout. Later on, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, not caring one bit if she was heard by the whole forest.

She didn't remember sleeping. But one of the last things she remembered thinking was that it felt good crying her whole heart out. And just like any other exhausted kid would do after crying, she fell into a deep sleep.

**A/N: So? How'd it go? Please review! Thanks!**


	15. Unknown title

**A/N: Okay, I'm going to skip a co****uple of days to make the story faster and get to the main thing. And with the individual POV, I'll start writing with the first person. Just clearing it out. Thanks to Fantasmigoricalproductions. **

**Yeah, enough with the chit-chat and on with the ****story.**

**Fang's POV**

_Can this thing get any faster? _I screamed in my mind as I waited for us to arrive at the Martinez residence, where Max would be waiting for us.

"_Um, I don't think so Fang. There's a speed limit you know. Just enjoy being free for once." _Angel said in my mind.

"_How in the world can I be free if I'm in this stupid car__, and am practically squished in this moving hell? And it's none of your business." _I hissed. Angel turned from the front seat and stuck her tongue out.

I just rolled my eyes and continued to stare outside. I closed my eyes and started to replay what I've been doing for the past week. Me eating s'mores and toasted marshmallows. _Without Max to eat with me. _Me lying on the grass watching the stars glisten in the night. _Without Max to adore it with me. _Me flying and enjoying the cool breeze. _Without Max to soar with me. _Me hiking in the middle of the night to get some adventure without the others help. _Without Max to accompany me. _

I sighed. I'm getting hopeless. For the past week, all I thought was Max. Was I really that desperate? _Yes. Yes you are Fang. You always were. You just haven't noticed it. _What the? Was that me? I didn't now I had a voice inside my head. Oh, wait. Of course I don't have one.

"Angel, butt off. Mind your own mind!" I glared at her. Everybody turned to me. "Oh, have I said that out loud?"

"Of course not Fang. We're just like Angel. We could read through your mind too!" Iggy said sarcastically.

"What do you mean, Fang? I haven't done anything to you." She said innocently.

"Whatever. How many more hours before we finally get there?" I asked, checking my watch. It was just 9 in the morning.

"Probably 3 hours or so," Jeb answered. "Hey, why don't we play a game or something? To lighten your spirits up a bit."

Everybody started to suggest some games. I just rolled my eyes at their foolishness. I mean, come on. How in the world are they enjoying this? These kinds of stuffs are for babies. **(A/N: No offense to those who still do this. I'm just getting in Fang's mind and well this is how he thinks, right?) **He put out his earphones and started to listen to music. He might as well get some sleep. It would be a very long hell of a ride.

**Maya's POV**

I continued to fly towards Max's house. I haven't done anything interesting for the past week; just listen to Dr. Hans' boring lecture on how to become Max and some other basic stuff about the flock. I thought I didn't need to do this anymore. I mean, I've already been with the flock once. But that wasn't a good memory.

But, whatever. It doesn't matter anyway. All I have to do is roll my eyes at every stupid comment, give some sarcastic statements and act like a leader, which wasn't that hard.

I swooped down to the porch and turned the knob. It was open. Oh, crap. They're here. I think. When I entered, living room was completely spotless. Like as if nothing happened.

"Huh, I think Hans made his magic." I said in amusement.

I almost jumped when someone behind me said, "What?" I turned to see a tall boy with pinkish blond hair. His eyes were the shade of light blue. But I was positive that he couldn't see. Iggy. I was almost caught because of this little punk.

"Oh, Iggy! You guys are here already! I'm so glad!" I said as I unexpectedly hugged him. It was really awkward and I immediately let go.

"Oookay…that was weird of you Max. And yeah, it really was good to be home." He said stretching his hands upward as high as it can go. "Ugh. I'm exhausted from the whole trip. Oh, has Ella arrived already?" He asked.

What? Who in the world is Ella? Do I even know her? "Um, who?"

He looked at me like as if he can really look at me. "You know, Ella. As in your half sister. The daughter of Mrs. Martinez from some other guy. You know, Ella." He said. It was enough for me to reply.

"Um, no she hasn't. And why don't you help the others? Come on." I said.

As we got out, I saw the others getting their stuffs out of the car. I sent a silent prayer to whoever was out there caring enough to listen to my prayer._ Please, please, please! Help me! _ I gave Angel and Nudge a hug, patted Total, ruffled Gazzy's hair, gave my so called mom a peck on the cheek and shook hands with Jeb. Imagine a daughter shaking hands with his father instead of giving him a kiss or even a hug.

Lucky for me, they didn't notice the difference. I helped them unpack and settle in the house. The others continued to play downstairs while I headed to my new room. Max's room. As I opened the door, a pair of hands grabbed me by the waist. I kicked him on the groin and he let out a groan. I was about to kick him when I saw who my captor was.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. He was even more handsome than I remembered. The side of his lips tilted, I think it was already a smile, but it was really cute. And his long black hair falling perfectly on his eyes. His eyes, oh those eyes of his. I could already swim in them forever. They were shining as it looked at me from head to toe. I should have felt uncomfortable but when he was the one doing it, I felt like I was going to melt. No wonder Max picked him over Dylan. Not that Dylan wasn't good looking or anything. But Fang was different. I could already imagine Max making out with Fang. But what if it were me?

Wait. That can't happen. I mean, I can't steal Fang from Max that would be rude. But then again, I am already taking her place without her knowing a single thing.

"I'm so sorry, Fang." I apologized. "I didn't know you were there." I said with an apologetic smile.

He didn't reply, instead what he did utterly surprised me. He kissed me. I felt like I was already melting. I never thought I'd ever touch those lips. My hands instantly ran through his soft hair. I can't believe it. I was kissing Fang! I don't know if I really have feelings for him or just because I want to get whatever Max has and shove to her face. Just like what she did to me.

We continued to kiss until we were out of breath. I smiled at him and then we kissed again. I think we were making out. Huh. Who knew that this was what it felt like to be the real Maximum Ride? I'm starting to love it. And I'm positive it would be a very long time before I go back into being Maya.

**A/N: So? What do you think? Please tell me. And I think I won't be able to upload in a very long time. I think. Anyway, please review! **


	16. I'm alive alert awake enthusiastic NOT

**A/N: Sorry if I haven't uploaded for a time. Anyway, I've just finished reading Angel. And it was oh! I so can't believe that it ended like that. And it was **_**bitin, **_**in Filipino language. Meaning I wasn't contented with it. Good thing there's another book coming next year. He-he. **

**On with the story. **

**Max's POV**

Darkness. It started engulfing me, taking me whole without any warning. I felt numb inside. A cold icy breeze swept past me. I felt a shiver run down my spine and the hairs at the back of my neck started to stand up like as if somebody was watching me from behind.

I turned around and was expecting to see something really creepy. But what I saw was just a little girl. She was about seven years old. She has blond curls and her eyes were blue. She looked vaguely familiar. But I couldn't place my fingers on it.

"Um, look, if you're missing or looking for something, don't ask me 'cause I honestly don't know." I said staring at her big round innocent eyes. She didn't speak. She just shrugged and took my hand. I tried wriggling free but her grip was hard like steel, which was unbelievable for a kid like her.

"Where are you taking me? If you're going to show-"I wasn't able to finish my sentence when the girl pointed down below. I didn't see anything at first, but when I squinted, I was surprised to see cars whizzing passed below me.

I tensed. I don't know why but I started to feel sick eve though I'm positive that I shouldn't be afraid of heights. The girl still continued to point below and scene changed. I saw a group of young kids. 6 young kids strolling down a strawberry field. They were laughing and looked so content in life. One of them sort of looked familiar. She had blond curls and… oh, wait, she's the girl with me.

There was another kid with her, he looked exactly like her but he looked a bit older. Then a girl about 11, who looked like an African American with eyes that looked like melted chocolate, was twirling and laughing. A boy, tall and scrawny, with pale blue eyes and strawberry blond hair seemed to enjoy every breath that he was taking. And at the farther part was a guy with a girl. The guy was tall, dark and handsome, even though if he looked a bit emo. And the girl looked extremely familiar. She had brown hair, streaked with blond. She was pretty, to be honest. Tough looking but still pretty.

The images started to dissolve and a new scene came. The young group of kids were still there, but they had a Scottie dog. And with an adult with brown hair and brown eyes. They were gathered in a dining table, eating what looked like home made chocolate chip cookies. I could practically smell the sweet auroma.

The scene changed again, this was a little blurry. Then it changed faster until it came to a stop. The same people were still there. They were all looking at the same directions and smiles spread across their faces. What took me by surprise was that they had wings at their backs. Yes. Wings. Well, it didn't really surprise me but it felt like as if I was expecting it. Yet I somehow forgot.

The girl looked at me. She looked worried. I could see it. Her eyes, round with concern. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but she turned her back on me.

"_Max, it's time you wake.__" _She said. I could feel the power that radiated around her. She didn't look like a seven year old girl anymore. She started to grow bigger. She was now towering over me. I should have been afraid and ran away, but instead, I just stared.

She placed me on her palm and neared me to her mouth. I thought she was going to eat me. But she just blew on me. I started to disintegrate into dust. And the wind carried me away.

(* * * * * *)

The first thing that I felt when I regained consciousness was the soft texture of a blanket on my skin. I heard the bleeping sound of machines and breathing not far from where I was lying. I made a slight groan when I tried to move my hand. I felt someone shift.

"Max? Are you-?" A voice said, trembling, beside me. I opened my rusty eyes. It felt like as if I hadn't opened them for a very long time.

I scanned the room. It was white; a TV was on the wall, two chairs and a small table and a cabinet on one side of the room. There were only two doors, one for the bathroom and one for the exit. Beside me was a bench, where a boy about 15 was sitting staring at me, shocked. He was cute, blond hair, and shining turquoise eyes. I think I've known him from before. But I don't remember when.

I blinked. Then realization hit me. I didn't remember anything.

Who was I? Where am I? What am I doing here? Oh, god. I think I'm slipping. Slipping into nothingness. I'm still conscious but I feel empty inside. Like as if I'm missing a very big part of me. And it felt bad.

The guy beside me cleared his throat. I turned to him. I was sure that my eyes showed confusion and fear, because he immediately rushed towards me and started murmuring that it would be alright.

"I, uh, don't know you." I stammered. I tried to move away from him. I felt like I should stay away from this guy. But why?

"Okay, for starters, I'm Dylan." He introduced himself. He had a soft serene voice.

"Who?"

"Dylan," he faced me. "your boyfriend."

**A/N: Yeah. I'm getting to the part where he tells everything about Max's past differently. Warning: Dylan would be OOC. I think. Review! Please! **


	17. first impression

**A/N: This may me a stupid a question but what are flames? Whenever I read a summary or an author's note that says it's their first time and "flames are accepted" What does that mean?**

**Max's POV**

I was so not expecting to wake up and be greeted by a guy and tells me that he was my boyfriend. I mean, yeah he's handsome and everything, but too straight forward much?

But I honestly wouldn't mind if he was too straight forward and all. By just staring at those turquoise eyes, I can already swoon.

"Oh, I have one?" I asked. He nodded and gave me a smile that made me melt.

There was a knock on the door and a guy about 50 entered. He was holding a clip board, wearing a white coat and had a huge grin that seemed to be plastered on his face. Unexpectedly, it sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh, I'm happy to see you already awake, Max. I suppose you don't remember me anymore." He said with a shrug. And I was like: Huh?

He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Oh, don't worry, my dear Maximum. I'm only here to check on your present condition." He said tapping his clip board as if it was obvious.

I nodded wearily. He looked at something from a monitor beside me, he nodded. He did some more checking and when he was done, he smiled at me. I smiled back. It was the only way to respond politely. "I hope you remember me as a different person Max. I'm Hans Hagens. If that rings a bell." He took out a syringe and injected it to me. I let out a small gasp and everything started to circle around me. It was like as if I got drunk or something.

The last thing that I remembered before passing out was Dylan shaking me furiously. He looked too stunned to speak. And everything went black. AGAIN.

**Dylan's POV**

I was shaking Max furiously, wanting her to wake up. I turned and punched Hans hard on the gut. He wheezed and fell hard on the floor. "Why in the world did you do that? I mean what the hell? I thought you were supposed to take care of her?"

He stood up and gave me a crooked grin. "Oh, don't worry. It won't hurt her. She'll be conscious after a few hours. It's just a medicine that I gave her. It won't kill her or anything."

He said it like as if it was nothing. I wanted to punch the light out of this jerk. No wonder the flock hated him. "How many ours would it take for her to wake up?"

He didn't answer for a moment. "Maybe 4 to 5 hours. That would be enough for you to go to your new safe house."

I nodded. So much for first impression.

**A/N: I'm really sorry if this chapter wasn't enough. I ran out of ideas. Sorry again. Promise the next chapter will be better. **


	18. I spy with my two little eyes

**Angel's POV**

"Fang," I said tugging at the edge of his shirt. "I have to tell you something. It's important."

"What? And this better be good." He snarled. He was grumpy and impatient again. And it irritated me, as much as I irritated him.

I scanned the room. Iggy and Gazzy were playing video games. Ella was talking nonstop with Nudge about Edward Cullen. I shuddered when I remembered what was inside their heads. Total was snoring his head off on the carpet; and Max, well, Max was nowhere to be seen.

"Can we talk privately? Maybe in your room or something."

He shrugged. "Whatever. Just make it fast."

We climbed the stairs and entered Fang's room. I've never been in Fang's room. I was expecting something like a bit emo and had lots of gothic stuff, but what I saw was completely different. The walls were painted dark blue; there were some pictures of Max and him and some pictures of the flock. Bedsides from some clothes scattered on the bed, the room was impossibly clean. He shoved the laptop to the other side of the bed and took a sit.

"Talk," He urged.

I took a deep breath and explained what I saw earlier.

_*Flashback*_

_I was in the woods looking for Total. We were supposed to be doing our usual early morning stroll in the woods when I heard talking from a nearby stream. I saw Max talking to some guy. He looked familiar. My breath caught in my throat when I remembered who the man was. It was Dr. Hans. _

"_So, why did you want to talk to me?" Max said._

"_I just want to tell you that Max is already awake from her coma." Dr. Hans said taking out a roll of dollars._

_Max looked at the money to Hans and back to the money again. "What's the money for? I thought you already paid me. Is this for next week?" _

_He nodded. "You can say that." _

_A grin spread across Max's face. "You do know that I can just take the money and forget that I ever did you a favor." _

"_Yes, but it doesn't matter. All I need you to do is continue what your doing and just don't let them catch you." _

_Max shrugged. "So far no one notices yet." There was silence. "Um, just asking__, but what really is your plan?" _

_Dr. Hans grin widened. "Oh, simple really. I would do some experimenting on her. And maybe even make a prototype."_

"_But I thought I was the prototype? And what about Dylan"_

"_You are a prototype. But well, not the one that we wanted. And Dylan. He has the right to do anything he wants to her. Knowing that she forgot a single detail in her past."_

"_And what about the flock?"_

"_I don't care what happens to them. I think they have to live a life without their flock leader. While Dylan would be with Max, probably living a happily ever after, maybe even have their own little flock. And maybe you could be the new flock leader. If they ever accept you." He said with a chuckle._

_Max just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But what about the Eraser that attacked her? Was it really a coincidence or did you plan it?" _

"_I planned it." _

"_You know, you could have just kidnapped her. And brainwashed her. She was all alone anyway." _

_He rubbed his chin. "Yes, I know that. That's why I told Jeb to bring the flock away. But I don't want to miss a good show." _

"_You're evil. And maybe when you die and go to hell, Satan would have a new best friend."_

_My mind was racing when I silently ran away from the two of them. What were they talking about? Max was missing and was replaced by Max the second. Max was probably with Dylan, who at this very moment might be trying to twist Max innocent mind. I have to tell Fang. Before I could even realize where I was going, I stumbled on something. _

"_Ow!" Total said. I hurriedly took him and started to run. "Angel? What's the rush? I was looking for you. You just disappeared. And why do you look like you've seen a ghost? What's wrong?" _

_I didn't have time to explain. "Have…to…tell…Fang… important… Have… to… go… back…" I said panting, looking for an opening so I can spread my wings and take off. _

_Why haven't I noticed it before? Why didn't I read her mind? God, why?_

_*End of Flashback*_

"So you see? I should've known before, but I guess…" I trailed off. My vision blurry because of the tears that started to form out of nowhere.

Fang encircled his arms around me. It felt weird but this made me smile because Fang barely opened up much less comfort us. "Hey, don't worry. When she comes back, I'll talk to her. I should've noticed too but I guess this time Max the Second practiced."

"But Fang, you know that she's out there with Dylan. She might never come back. She forgot everything about us. She might not remember who she really is much less remember who we are."

He didn't respond at first. "She will return. And we're going to look for her. No matter what. I promise you that."

I nodded. And I "accidentally" entered his mind.

"_I am so going to kill him. Dylan will pay. I will squeeze the life out of that jerk. I swear. I should have stayed. ***k Jeb. That b**** Max 2. And that… that… I can't even think of a good enough curse to that jerk and asshole Dylan. __They will see and taste the wrath of Fang. And if not, they will get a much more…"_

I cut my mind reading, afraid that I might hear too much.


	19. Wings

**Dylan's POV**

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Max's eyelids fluttered open. She let out a groan and tried to sit up. I hurriedly rushed to her aid.

"Whoa, take it easy, Max." I said, fluffing her pillow.

She stared at me blankly then blinked a couple of times as if trying to remember who I am. "W-where am I?" she stammered.

"You're, uh, in my safe house."

She nodded. She looked confused and scared just like the way she looked after waking up from her one week coma. "I feel like crap. What happened?" She asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Uh, well, um, you were given some medicine and then you passed out. They said you're body was too weak so, yeah." I explained.

Then there was an odd silence.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a couple of hours,"

"Oh, okay." Then another awkward silence.

"You want some water or milk perhaps?"

"Um, cold milk please. Thanks." I hurriedly walked towards the kitchen and started to make Max some cold milk. When I was done, I heard soft footsteps. I turned around to see Max leaning on the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious that I'm leaning?" She said rolling her eyes. Even if she had amnesia she's still sarcastic. She didn't look tired; in fact she looked relaxed and full of energy. And this was a relief for me.

"Here's your milk." I said, giving her the glass. She took it and sat on the couch. She let out a sigh as she took a sip.

Then there was another moment of very awkward silence. I was about to say something when I saw her opening her mouth to say something too. "Okay, you go first." We both said at the same time. Then we started to laugh. "You first," Max said.

"Okay," I agreed. "Max, how much do you remember?"

"Honestly, not a single thing, which sucks big time." She gave a little pout. "I was going to ask you if you know anything about my past. Since you are my boyfriend. Wait. You _are_ my boyfriend, right?"

A lump in my throat formed, making it hard for me to talk. "Of course I'm your boyfriend. We've been going steady for three years now." I saw relief in her eyes.

"Good. 'Cause I thought you were some random guy who kidnapped me or something and started to brainwash me and use me for you own selfish needs." I thought she was serious but when I looked her in the eye, I saw that she was only kidding.

I tried to smile. But deep inside, my heart stung. The words that she just said were exactly what I was doing. I kept her because it felt right to do so. It felt like as if she deserves more than what she had before. And I can give her whatever she needs.

Not like Fang. Then just like that, anger rushed through my veins. Just thinking of him just made me want to punch something. He doesn't deserve Max. I do. He wasn't genetically made for Max. But I was. And Max's heart should be beating for me and not for him.

"Earth to Dylan! Earth to Dylan! Are you still there? Answer." Max said frantically waving her hand in front of me.

"Oh, um, sorry. So what were you saying?"

"I was saying if you could tell me about my past." She said looking intently to my eyes.

"Sure. For starters you've got wings."

Then she burst out hysterically. "Yeah, right. Then dogs can talk and can fly. Very funny."

"Well, yeah. You've got a Scottish dog that can talk and can fly. And no. It's true. Can't you feel your wings at your back? I myself have wings." I insisted.

She just rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah? Show me."

"If you say so." I unfurled my wings slightly. It wouldn't fit in the whole room.

"_Oh my freaking god! _ You really have wings? Are you like an angel or something? Oh my god. I think I'm dead." She gasped, her eyes almost popping out of their eye sockets.. "I've got to show you something too."

I pushed her towards the full length mirror at the farther portion of the room. "Turn around and see what I mean."

When I thought her eyes couldn't grow bigger, I stood corrected. "_Crap! _I must be hallucinating! Or am I dead and was turned into an angel by God? I mean, I'm not perfect! Hell, I'm not even _near good._"

I let out a sigh. I've got a lot of explaining to do.

**A/N: So sorry if Max was OOC. Anyway, just saying that I might only be able to update once a week. Why? Because next week, school's gonna start. Only for us. So yeah, it sucks. While you guys are out there enjoying life, I'll be in class being bored to death. **

**Review. Never forget to review! It's required. Ha-ha. **


	20. Truthful Lie

**A/N: Okay, I'm going to start of with a warning that there are some things here in this chapter that aren't exactly the way they were supposed to be in the real series. ****Just like the description of Max's hair, blond streaked with brown or brown streaked with blond? And some other things were necessarily changed for the sake of Dylan. So, yeah. Please understand. Thanks. **

**And to answer Trapped in Narnia's question: no, they are not in Germany. ****They're in Arizona. And thank you for telling me my mistakes. I'll try my best.**

**On with the story!**

**Max's POV**

What would your reaction be if you found out that you had wings? You maybe freaked out or amazed. I had the feeling of both. And for the same reason, I had freaking _wings._

Before I could even say a word, Dylan placed his hand on my shoulders. He looked concerned. "I have a lot to tell you."

I pushed pass him. "Like as if it isn't obvious," I snorted. "Start talking," I sat on the couch.

"Where do you want to start?" He asked, sitting on the chair in front of me.

"At the very beginning, duh." I was starting to loose my temper.

He took a deep breath and started to speak. "You were created out of a test tube and-"

"Wait, wait. A test tube? Are you serious?" I interrupted.

He nodded and continued as if I didn't ask. "You were made in the School or ITEX where mad scientists do experiments on humans. There they added 2% avian DNA to your DNA. So now, you're just 98% human." He stopped.

I took this the opportunity to ask him. "How can they make me out of a test tube?"

"You weren't necessarily created in the tube. You have real parents. It would be very hard to explain if I went to that side of the story. But I promise you that we'll go there later on." I nodded. Questions were already starting to form in my mind. I wanted to ask now, but I had a feeling it wasn't the right time yet.

"So, there they tested you, experimented and everything else. In short, they abused you. But you weren't the only one there. There were also mutations of different levels. Or so they called generations. You, hybrid kinds, were generation 77. You were the most successful. They're-"

I interrupted again. "Are you one of the Generation 77?"

He didn't answer immediately. "Um, unfortunately, no. I was made a few years after you and the other Gen 77."

"Who are the others?" I asked, curiosity killing me already. If Dylan wasn't made yet, then who did I trust before?

Dylan let out a sigh. He took a picture frame from the small table beside him. He turned it towards my direction so now I could see the picture.

There were 6 kids. 3 boys and 3 girls. The girl in the middle had blond hair streaked with brown and had brown eyes. And just then did I realize that it was me. I was holding the hand of a little girl. She had blond hair and big round blue eyes. Beside me on the right was another girl who looked like an African American. She had mocha colored skin, curly brown hair and the color of her eyes looked like melted chocolate. From behind her was a tall scrawny boy. He was the palest among the others. He had pinkish blond hair and pale blue eyes. Beside him was a little boy, blond hair and blue eyes. I had the feeling that he and the girl beside me, the blond one, were siblings. And the last one was tall and emo looking. He had long black hair that almost touched his eyes. He also had onyx eyes.

"Who are they?" I asked, still staring at the picture.

"They're your flock. And you're the leader. This is Iggy," He said pointing to the tall and scrawny one. "He's 15. He can't see because some scientist thought of giving him night vision but apparently failed. But despite the fact that he can't see, he can cook great food. His best friend is Gazzy or the Gasman, 8." He pointed to the kid beside Iggy.

"Why is he called the Gasman?" I asked, wondering what an odd name that would be.

"You do not want to know. And this is Angel; she's 7." the little kid that I was holding.

"Her name suites her. She looks so innocent." I commented.

"Maybe." He said with a shrug. "Anyway, this is Nudge, 12." the African American, "she is good in fashion. And a very, very talkative girl." He said with a chuckle. I couldn't help but smile.

"Um, Dylan, who's this?" I said, pointing to the emo dude.

"Oh, him? He's Fang. He, uh… He, um, how do I say this." He stopped.

"What? What did he do?"

"H-he betrayed you and the rest of the flock. At first you trusted him. But when…" He faltered.

"When...?" I urged him to continue.

"It all started when you guys escaped the School. You lived peacefully for almost a whole year. You've had quite an adventure, even though Erasers were chasing after you." He stopped. "I think I haven't explained what Erasers are, right?" I nodded. "Well, they're half human and half wolf. Anyway, yeah. They chased you. You guys entered some major fun back then. I promise I'll tell you about them later. So, then you came here to Arizona. Here, you learned who your real parents were. Your mom's Mrs. Valencia Martinez, a veterinarian. While your dad's Jeb Batcheldor, a scientist. They're not married. I'm sorry, but that's all I know."

"You haven't answered my question yet." I said.

"But you didn't ask any question." Dylan answered matter of factly.

I mentally slapped myself. "You know what I mean. You haven't told me why he betrayed us."

"Oh, yeah. Do you even know why I was created, Max? I was created for you. And you were created for me. We were meant for each other. When I escaped, I tried finding you guys. And when I finally did, I tried to take you back from them. Well, only from Fang. But you didn't believe me because Fang poisoned your mind. The flock was also in it. They didn't trust me. They made you think that I was the bad guy but it was the other way around." He choked back a sob.

I had the sudden urge to comfort him but I was stopped when he continued to talk. "So, you see why I'm so desperate to have you back? My heart couldn't take it anymore. I took this as the chance to change what we had before. I also have to make up to my mistakes. And I'm really sorry. If we can just forget everything in the past and start over together?"

I saw tears roll down his cheeks. I never knew that he was carrying too much grief in his heart. I felt sorry for him. "I-I should be the one who's sorry. I was blind. And I didn't see who was right. I'm really sorry, Dylan."

I stood up and sat beside him. I placed my arm around him and I felt him tremble. He looked at me. I could see hope in his eyes. And without a warning, he leaned on me and stopped when he was a centimeter away as if giving me time to move away. But I didn't. Then he kissed me.

**A/N: Only one word to say to all of you out there: REVIEW! **

**Thanks! **


	21. Sad Author's Note: To be or not to be?

**This is a very sad Author's note…**

**Hello to everybody reading this Author's Note. I am very sorry for not updating in a very long time. You see, I have like a lot of homework and projects already and it's just the second week of classes. And because of that, I'm not able to update and continue my story. I'm really sorry.**

**The real reason of why I created this is that I'm asking for your opinion. Should I continue my story or not? It's up to you to decide. You can tell me through your reviews or by sending me a pm. **

**Thanks and please tell me what you think. Again, I'm really sorry. I've been just very busy. **


	22. Dancing in the Rain

**A/N: ****PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Put down those guns and razor sharp knives that you guys are holding. Have mercy! I've been really, really hectic and maybe even for the next months. Especially for the upcoming next three weeks, cause we're gonna have our exam for our first semester/ quarter. So I beg for your patience and understanding. PLEASE? With icing and sprinkles on top! **

**Anyway, ****I've read all of your reviews and was so happy. Thanks so much! I never really knew that there a lot reading and liking my story. So thank you! And I also thank your patience in waiting for me to update. I really appreciate it. **

**You've been waiting for a long time so enough with the chit-chat and on with the story. **

**Dylan's POV**

Lying to Max was never on my to-do list. But I didn't have any choice. It's her or me being alone for the rest of my life. Anyway, I was practically sweating all over and might have stumbled for the words when I told her my story. It was hard to fill in gaps that I didn't know. I wondered if she noticed some of my hesitations and unsure words. But all of my doubt about her not believing melted when she said that she was sorry and when she kissed me. Well, actually, it was me who kissed her. But whatever. This was the ever first time I kissed her without her trying to get away from me. And it felt great.

She inched away from me and I saw that she was crying. I wiped the tear away from her cheeks. "Hey, it's okay. I understand. Don't cry. It's hurting me."

She let out a shaky breath and planted a small kiss on my lips. It may have been just a peck but it took my breath away. She stood up and looked outside the window. "Honestly, I really don't like having this drama and all. It kind of pisses me off. It's like crying about something that's already done. Whatever. Can we like just change the subject or something?"

I nodded. "So, what do you want to do now? It's not like as if we have anything to do other than just stare at each other."

She shrugged. "I wanna fly." She suggested with a smile.

"Why not." I said and headed to the door.

As we got out, I unfolded my wings and gave a stroke and within seconds I was a few meters above ground. She was right behind me.

"Wanna play a game?" I asked.

"What kind?"

"I don't know. Race maybe?"

"Up to where?" She asked.

"Race you to the ground." I said with a grin and shot down. The wind was whistling through my ears; it was hard to see if I was near the ground or not with all the thin sheets of clouds blocking my view. Then suddenly there was something that zipped pass me. It was like a bullet. I don't know. And when I landed, I saw Max standing there waiting.

"Slow poke." She said with a grin. "I've been waiting for half an hour already."

"I'm not _that_ slow you know." I said with a chuckle. "But you were fast."

"Yeah. I just fell. I felt like I was a rock falling out of the sky. It felt weird and at the same time cool." She explained, excitement showing on her face.

"Did you know that another benefit of being a mutated kid is that you get to have cool and unique abilities?"

"Really? And flying faster than anybody is my ability? That is way awesomeness." I nodded. "What about yours?"

"Well, I can heal my wounds whenever I want." I said.

"Cool! Show me."

"You have any sharp rock or something as long as it's sharp." She picked a small pointed stone that was lying on the ground.

"Here." She gave it to me, anxious to see what would happen next. And with a blinding move, I slashed my left arm. It wasn't too deep, but it was enough for blood to ooze out. I stretched my arm and clenched my fist. The newly opened wound started to close. If you didn't know, healing myself also took some energy. The bigger the cut, the more the energy that I use. Luckily, it wasn't much of a wound.

A few minutes later it looked like as if I didn't cut myself.

I looked at Max and she looked like as if she'd seen a ghost. "That was so cool. Can you heal yourself too when you've got internal bleeding?" She asked and it made me laugh. "What?"

"I never really thought about that. And I don't want to try."

"Good. 'Cause I don't want to loose you." She smiled and kissed me. It took me by surprise but I willing accepted her. I felt my knees start to go weak and I couldn't think straight. I've never felt anything like this before. It felt so good. Whenever I kissed Max in the past, she was always the one first to breaking contact. But now it felt like as if she didn't want to stop.

We were breathing hard when we broke apart. "That was great." Was all I could say. She placed her arms around my waist and pulled me closer to her. We just stared at each other for a few moments.

Within those few minutes that I realized how much I really love her. And it also made me realize on how much of a selfish jerk I was. It made me feel guilty on lying to her about her past. My trail of guilty thoughts were stopped when Max planted another kiss on my lips.

Just then, thunder rolled and rain started to pour. "Let's go back inside." I said and held her hand. She didn't move. I looked back at her. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"What's wrong with rain? It feels good to dance under the rain, you know." She said, staring at the sky.

"I don't know. Maybe because its acid rain?"

She snorted. "Those types of people who don't dance in the rain are kill joy. They don't know how to have fun."

I laughed. It wouldn't hurt to enjoy life once in a little while.

I don't want to bore you with the details of what happened. Let's just say that we ran, flew a few meters above, danced, went crazy and kissed.

We were soaking wet when we reached back to the safe house. I opened the door, not caring if we made the floor wet and muddy. I gave each of us a towel and offered to make hot coco. While Max sat in the living room, watching TV. I sat beside her on the floor and gave her hot coco. She smiled her thanks and placed her head on my shoulders; I tilted mine, so now, our heads were leaning on each other. I inhaled her scent, I couldn't place my finger on it but it smelled so sweet. I sighed, wishing that I had the power to stop time.

"Why don't you take a bath?" I blurted out of nowhere.

"What?" She said with a very dangerous tone.

"I-I didn't mean that way. What I meant was that you might get sick. B-because when you play under the rain, you might get sick. You know.." I said nervously. I have seen some of Max's temper tantrums and I have no intention on seeing one today.

She laughed. "I know. I was just gonna say the same thing to you." I let out a sigh of relief. Then she left.

It almost took her half an hour to finish taking a bath. It was quite unusual for her to do that. Her longest time on taking a bath I think was 10 minutes. I fell asleep by just waiting for her to finish.I opened my eyes to see smiling brown eyes. "Hey, sleepy head, time to wake up. It's your turn."

I nodded groggily. And took a quick shower. When I got out of the bathroom, I saw Max lying on the couch, asleep. I smile danced across my lips. I couldn't help think of what happened earlier. Both of us having fun under the rain. I bet she and Fang have never done that before. And what made me smile the most was when Max and I kissed. It was magic.

I carried her into our room. Yes, _our_ room. Please. We wont' be doing anything. And laid her on the king sized bed. I continued to admire her sleeping figure. I kissed her forehead and a few minutes later, I myself fell asleep.

**Max's POV**

I've been having this strange voice inside my head that keeps on saying that I'm not who I really think I am. I kept on thinking that it was just my imagination and just kept on ignoring it. But I couldn't. It would always surprise me. I wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl or a computerized voice.

And when I thought I was going to get some rest when I fall asleep. Boy, was I wrong. I was flying away from something I didn't know ; I didn't want to know. Then time seemed to slow down. I grew heavier and my wings couldn't carry me anymore. I fell. It wasn't like what I did earlier. I was expecting to hit the ground anytime but instead I just kept on falling. I felt like as if I was falling in a very narrow well and everything seemed to grow darker.

Then I heard voices. It wasn't the voice that I was hearing in my head. These ones are like for real persons. I couldn't make out what they were saying. But I was positive I heard laughter. I listened more intently and closed my eyes. And I heard and saw them clearly.

"Come on, Max! Let's get some strawberries. Please?" Said a sweet baby girl voice. I looked down and saw a very cute looking girl. She had blond curls and big pleading blue eyes.

"Okay, sweetheart." Me

Then there were some cheers. And when I tried to scan the place, the scene changed. I felt shivers run down my spine when a deep voice said, "You love me _this _much." I looked up and saw a figure. I squinted and saw that it was the emo kid in the picture. What was his name again? Yeah, Fang. But why do I feel embarrassment instead of anger? Do I have feelings for this guy? I barely know him. Or do I?

Then everything went black. I wasn't unconscious or anything. It was just really dark and I couldn't see anything. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I shrieked. When I turned I didn't see anybody. I was alone. I started to hear voices.

"_Wake up and open your eyes!" _

"_Remember who you are.. You are Maximum Ride.."_

"_Max, Dylan's lying. He's lying to you. Don't trust him."_

"_Max! I love you!" _That voice. It sounded so familiar. I thought it was Dylan's but Dylan's voice was sort of.. I can't tell. But I'm positive it wasn't his. It belonged to someone else.

I fell again. The ground opened, swallowing me whole. And then I woke up. My heart was beating wildly. I scanned the room. Where was I? Something moved beside me. _Click!_ It was Dylan. He rubbed his eyes and looked at me full of concern.

"You alright?"

"Um.. Yeah.. I, uh, never mind. Let's just go to sleep." I said, not wanting him to worry at the middle of the night. He hesitated, but when his head touched his pillow, he immediately fell asleep.

As for me, well, I was afraid to go to sleep. Thinking that I might have another nightmare. But my eyes demanded rest. And so I did. In Dylan's arms, I fell asleep. But this time, I didn't have any nightmares.

**A/N:**** I'm sorry if it isn't enough. Just be thankful that I didn't have any classes today due to strong prayers of students asking for no classes. Joke. We have a tropical depression. Anyway, thanks again for reviewing and telling me to continue my story. I love you guys! I already got 50! Ha! Let's make it up to 100 next time. **

**And please be patient with my updating. ****Thanks again.**

**Oh, and I'll try making my chapters longer so that at least you wouldn't be mad at me. **


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